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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l. C COTTON.

WAGON RAGK.

' No. 318,959. Patented June 2, 1885.

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(No Model.) 2 ShetsSheet 2, G. COTTON.

WAGON RAOK.

No. 318,959. Patented June 2, 1885.

B Attorney u. PETERS. Phaio-Lnhagrlphen Washington, a, c

lUNlTlED diva-res Parent @rrrca CHARLES COTTON, OF OLEAN, XlElV YORK.

WAGON-RACK.

fiPECIEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.318,959, dated June 2 1885.

Application filed February 10, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LCHlnLEs Corros, a citizen of the United States, residing at Olean, in the county of Cattaraugus and State of New York, have invented new and useful lniprovemcnts in Wagon-Racks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

lvlyiuvention relates to certain new and useful improvements in combined hay and stock racks; and it has for its object to provide a rack which shall be capable of separately pen forming the functions of either of these devices, and the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts. as will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view in perspective of my invention, showing the hayrack. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective showing the stock-rack. Fig. 3isa detail view showing the manner of securing the side bed-pieces to the transverse bed-pieces. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the sides of the rack detached from the bed or platform. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the slat end-board. Fig. 6 is a detailed plan view of the platform of the wagon, illustrating a modification.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A designates the platform, which consists of the longitudinal sectional side beams and the transverse bedbeams 13, let into recesses A in the under faces of the side beams,A, and held firmly in place by stirrups A the arms of which pass up through holes provided for them in said side beams, and are provided with nuts A to retain them in position. A middle longitudinal beam or rail, 13, bifurcated at its forward end is securely bolted to the under sides of the transverse bed-beams B, and forms the lower connection between the sections D and E of the platform or bottom proper of the wagon-rack. 'The spaces F. thus formed in the bottom of the wagon rack are intended to and do permit short turns to be made with the wagon while the rack is in place on therunninggear. The transverse bed-beams B are provided wit-h mortises B near each end just inside of the longitudinal side beams, A. The outer end walls of the niortises 13" are vertical and the inner end l walls of said mortises B are inclined from above downwardly. and toward the middle of their length. At the outer ends of the mortises the longitudinal sectional side beams, A, are provided with notches or rabbets F, which have downwardly and inwardly inclined bottoms and vertical end walls.

G d signat-es the curved standards, to which the longitudinal boards G are secured, three boar ils,G,being shown to each side. I The number of boards G may be varied without departing from the character of the invention. At their lower ends the curved standards G are provided with tenons Gflwhich tit the inortises B in either of two positions. Should the wagon-rack be in use as a hayrack, to change it to a stock-rack the sides and end-gate should be disconnected and detached, and the side that formerly occupied the position atthe right should be placed in position at the left in the mortises B, and the otherside must necessarily he placed in position at the right, and the rack will then appear as shown in Fig. 2.

\Vhen the rack is to be used as a hay-rack, the ladder H,at the front of the rack, which is pivoted through the lower ends of its side rails, H, to the inner faces of the side rails just in rear of the front standards G, mustbe vertical, and a crosspiece, I, having beveled ends I", having bolts 1 passed down through holes near the ends of said cross-piece I, is placed across the rear end of the rack and the bolts I entered into holes in the rear standards just below the upper rails of the sides of the rack.

L designates the endgateswhich are used in connection with the sides when the rack is used for stock. The gates L consist ofbars L L 1 L, the bars L L being of about the same length,the bars L L shorter to cause the end-gatesto properlyiit the contour of the sides of the rack. The lower rails, G, of the sides are provided with holes M, which receive bolts M, secured to the rails of the gates near the ends of the second rails from the bottom of said end-gates. The top rails or bars of the end-gates are provided near their ends with hooks N, which engage staples N near the ends of the top rails of the sides of the rack, and on the innor faces of said top rails. The curved standards G at the ends of the sides of the rack have their teuons provided with perforations, into which keys are inserted below the side beams to hold the sides in place when the rack is used for stock.

I? designates the cover for the rack when it is to be used as a stoclerack. The cover P consists of two parallel boards, Q Q, secured to three cross-strips, R RR'". The cross-strips B 1% R are notched in their under faces near each end, to receive the upper edges of the top rails of the sides of the rack when the cover is in place. The two cross-strips R R are provided with vertical slots R near each end, just inside of the transverse notches S.

\ These slots are for the smaller upper ends of the S hooks T, by which the cover I? is held in place on the rack. The lower ends of the S-hooks T engagethe top rails of the rack sides, and the upper smaller ends of the S- hoolzs a e passed up through the slots R", and keys V are inserted in the eyes formed by the hooks projecting above the cross-strips, and hold the cover firmly in place.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated a modified form of the platform, in which two connectingbeams, Z, are substituted for the bifurcated central reach, 13.

' Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination, with the sectional side beams, the transverse beams, and the longitudinal bifurcated middle boam,'of the curved standards having the rails secured thereto, and provided with staples, and the end-gates having the bolts on a slat near the bottom, as set forth.

2. The combination, with the rack -sides and rack-cover having the slotted and notched 

